YuGiOh! The Return of the Pharaoh
by Lexina
Summary: Atem must come back in order to fulfill a greater destiny. No Flames Please. If you read you will find out who likes who! I Might not work on this for a long time. Feel Free to Continue where I left off!
1. Prologue

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Return of the Pharaoh

Prologue

_Twelve Beings stood, bathed in an ethereal white light. They knew the time was nigh. For twelve thousand years they had waited in the void, waiting for their king to return. They had failed the last time. They would not disappoint their master now._

_Things were very different in the olden times. The Four Kingdoms thrived all over the world. They waged war against each other, nearly destroying the world. There were ancient records speaking of this that they had left many years ago. Even after the Great Unity, bringing about the Peacetime still failed. _

_A door opened in the gap between dimensions, and a tall being clothed in robes stepped into the Ethereality. _

_It had finally begun._


	2. Next Stop, Domino City

Chapter One: Next Stop, Domino City

_3 AM_

A voice came over the intercom aboard the plane. Yugi Moto immediately woke from his slumber. "Attention Passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are experiencing some Turbulence, so we will be landing in one hour. Please fasten your seatbelts." Yugi looked at his plane ticket. He read the familiar text. _Nonstop Cairo-Domino City 1__st__ class. _He remembered what Atem had said earlier.

"There will always be a part of me with you."

Yugi grinned. After freeing the Pharaoh's soul, he was exhausted. Sure, he would miss Atem, but he recalled what he said to his friends in the Valley of the Kings. That the end of one adventure may be the beginning of a new one. Besides, he had learned so much during his time with him.

Téa Gardner dozed in the seat to his right, her tear-stained face glimmering in the moonlight streaming through the window. She had cried herself to sleep. Yugi felt sad for her.

Téa was something of a partner to Yugi, and he felt strong feelings for her. But her tear-stained face told otherwise. Yugi sniffed. It was Atem she loved, not him. And now that he was gone, it had broken her heart.

Yugi looked to his left and saw Joey Wheeler, also dozing. His breath reeked of peanuts, pretzels, and a hint of cheese. A copy of _Omni _magazine covered his chest.

_Joey must've bored himself to sleep, _Yugi thought. He didn't like _Omni. _Science was interesting, but it didn't compare to _National Geographic_.

In the bench on the left side of the cabin, Tristan Taylor, Joey's sister Serenity, and Duke Devlin were fast asleep, laying on top of each other like a bunch of toppled dominoes. Yugi smiled as he saw Joey's souvenir T-shirt he had picked up in Cairo the day before. It read: 'Walk like an Egyptian'. Hardly an important Egyptian find.

The two benches in front of him were occupied by Seto Kaiba, his brother Mokuba, Grandpa, and the Ishtar siblings: Ishizu, Marik, and Odion. They were coming to live in Domino city after their family heritage of tomb-keeper was completed. Maybe Yugi would have a new roommate.


	3. From China with Love

I have received several requests for longer chapters. Here it is.

I almost forgot: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! (Though I wish I did.)

Chapter 2: From China with Love

Yugi unbuckled his seatbelt, crawled over Joey, and started heading towards the bathroom. As he passed by several empty benches (he and his friends were the only passengers), he tripped on something.

"Aaaaugh! What was that?" he remarked, forgetting to keep his voice down. He covered his mouth as soon as he realized that. Phew. He didn't wake anyone.

Yugi felt the object. It weighed about twenty pounds. It was about a cubic foot in size. The texture was wrinkly, like wrapping paper. There was a tag on it. "Who could this be for?" he said. Through the dim moonlight he could barely make out the text.

'From Mai to Yugi and my friends. '

It was for him and his friends! He looked around to see where the object dropped from. Suddenly, some lightning cracked. For a split second, he thought that he saw a tall girl with long blonde hair clad in purple. He dismissed this as an illusion. Last he heard, Mai Valentine was somewhere in Shanghai.

Yugi picked up the present with much difficulty and headed towards his seat. As he sat down he dropped the package. "Oops!" he said. The loud _THUD! _of the package woke up everyone on board. Yugi began hearing yawns all across the cabin.

"Hey, Yug! Why'd you wake us up?!?" Téa yelled. "Sorry, Téa," Yugi replied. "But Mai sent us a heavy package, and I dropped it!"

"A package? For us?" Serenity said. Tristan got up and tried to wake Joey . "Hey, Joey! Good Morning! Wake up!"

All that could be heard from Joey was: "Why yes….I would like a slice of pizz…..berry milkshake with a ch…."

"Forget it." Tristan said.

Kaiba woke and said, "Hey, Dweeb Patrol! Keep it quiet! It's three in the morning!" Mokuba replied to this with, "Give it a rest, bro. There's no need to be rude! Mokuba walked over to Yugi and friends, who were all walking toward the table in the back of the plane.

"Whazzup, Yugi?" Mokuba said with a yawn. "We just found a package from Mai Valentine!" Yugi said. He place the package on the table. Téa began unwrapping the present. Inside was a mysterious jade box.

"What is it?" Téa asked.

"I don't know" Duke said.

Yugi heard footsteps. Bakura emerged from the bathroom. "Hello, everyone!" he smiled. He was a lot different since he lost possession of the Millenium Ring. He was no longer being controlled by the evil spirit.

Yugi opened the lid of the Jade box and found several smaller presents. There were presents for Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Serenity. There was an envelope as well. "These are from Mai!" he said. Téa got a jade necklace. Joey got a book on Chinese games. Tristan received a small miniature Buddha. Serenity god a small glass mirror. . Yugi opened the envelope and found a photograph of Mai Valentine wearing an archeologist's outfit. The letter was labeled 'for Yugi only." Yugi read the letter to himself while the others looked at their gifts.

_Dear Yugi,_

_Ni-hao from Xi'an!_

_As you know, I took a trip to China. How've you been? It's been a while. I'm sending you and your friends gifts from China. I'm starting to recover my self-esteem after that little incident with the whole Orichalcos thing. I'm a much happier person now! You'll never guess what I did these past three weeks in China! Well, it's a long story, so sit back and let me tell you. _

_During the first three days, I just relaxed with the local boys in Shanghai. Then one day, I read the newspaper. There was an article about a newly-discovered tomb near the city of Xi'an. At first I paid no heed to it. _

_Then I bought a couple lottery tickets, for the heck of it. Little did I realize that the tickets cost me all of my vacation money! I was poor! Then, when I returned to my hotel room, I began reading worldwide news on my Laptop. But strangely, the only article was about the tomb in Xi'an! I picked up the newspaper again and read the article. There was a section about the tomb being a dead end. The photograph of the wall had the same symbol from that pyramid necklace that you wear! The article did not mention it, though._

_Suddenly, I heard a voice. There was a man in my apartment. He told me something about destiny being unfolded. He told me that he would guarantee my winning the lottery, but only if I would follow his instructions. He also said if I didn't I would never see Joey again (no romantic feelings)! He gave me a slip of paper labeled 'open after winning'. I looked at the paper carefully, but then he disappeared! _

_  
Sure enough, that night I won the Shanghai Lottery. Ten Billion Dollars! I felt as rich as a queen. But then I remembered the man's instructions. I opened the slip of paper. It was a map of a labyrinth. There was a smaller piece of paper inside. It said: Back alley of 15587 Chi Yu Street. _

_I went to the alley and met a man. He told me that a certain Chinese Legend holds a clue. The legend of Win Cha Yi. He said nothing more of it, other than the tomb would tell me the rest._

_The next morning, the newspaper read that it was a false tomb and that they filled it in. I decided to hire a team of archeologists to unearth the tomb. When we finally reached the dead end, I found the Jade box that is no doubt now in your possession. It had Egyptian writing on it! I contacted every Egyptologist I could find, I sent photographs, letters, everything! No one could help. _

_So I decided to contact you. I heard about your fascination with Egyptian artifacts. If you can figure out anything, give me a call. _

_Yours Truly,_

_Mai Valentine_

_P.S. Tell Joey I really miss him. Best of luck with Téa, little man. _

Yugi blushed at the last remark. It was true, what she said. Yugi had been in love with Téa from when they met at Burger World. How Mai figured it out, he didn't know.

Yugi felt a strange impression that there was more to this mystery than met the eye. Who was this strange man who had visited her? No matter. The plane would land soon. Grandpa could probably help with this. For now though, they were headed home. A well-deserved rest was headed their way.


	4. The Revelation

Chapter 3: The Revelation

The Plane landed at 6:00. Everyone stepped out of the plane at Domino Airport. "Ah, fresh air!" Téa said. "You said it," said Tristan. "I nearly broke my back on that Jet!"

Yugi and friends took the bus home. When Yugi finally got to his house, he collapsed upon the bed with a sigh of relief. "Whew! It's been a tiring day." He unpacked his bag and took a handful of slightly stale beef jerky. He thought about the Ishtars coming to live in their basement, as their home in the Pharaoh's tomb had since been destroyed. They would work part-time around the shop, helping customers.

Then he remembered the Jade Box.

Yugi lugged the now-empty box from his bedroom to his Grandpa's room.

"Hey, Grandpa! You can read hieroglyphics, can't you?" He asked.

"Yeah, Yugi. Need me to translate something?" Grandpa said.

"I got this box from Mai during her archeological expedition. It has Hieroglyphic script on it."

"But I thought she was in China!"

"That's just it! How in the world would an Egyptian artifact be unearthed halfway around the world?"

"I don't know"

After translating the box, Yugi gave Mai a long-distance call to tell her the news.

"Hello, Mai? This is Yugi."

"Hi, Yugi!"

"Grandpa translated the script on the box. I wanted to tell you."

"Great! What's it say?"

"It says to 'remove the evil of the Phoenix and speak the sacred name to the Chi Lin. The power of the twelve shall be revealed."

"What does that mean? What's a Chi Lin?"

"I think it's a Chinese Griffin with fish skin and antlers or something like that. You mentioned something about Win Cha Yi in your letter?"

"Yeah. Plus, we've reached the end of the tunnel. There's a statue of a weird Chinese creature."

"Does it look like what I described?"

"Yes"

"That's a Chi Lin!" Yugi said. "Now you have to 'remove the phoenix'. Whatever that means."

"Hmm…there is a small statue of a bird on fire here. What if we remove that?" Mai said. She grabbed the statue and it came out smoothly. Suddenly she gasped. "The Chi Lin's mouth just opened! There is a scroll inside!" she exclaimed. Yugi heard Mai speak the name 'Win Cha Yi' over the phone. "Nothing happened when I spoke the name!" Mai said.

"What does the scroll say?" Yugi asked.

"It appears to be a list of some sort. Each entry is written in a different language. Let's see…My linguist says that the scripts include Ancient Vietnamese, Khmer, Archaic Japanese, Papuan, Mandarin, Hangul, Arabic, Mongolian, Celtic, Mayan, there is even extinct languages such as Rongorongo, Yola, Natchez and Noxws'áʔaq! Every language I have heard of that is over three thousand years old! Hold on… I've seen one of these scripts before! One of the entries is written in Egyptian Demotic Script!"

At that moment, Ishizu Ishtar woke from her slumber in the basement and began walking up the stairs.

"Can your Grandfather translate?"

"Sure!" Yugi said. "We just need a photograph of the entry."

"Hold on." Mai said as she hung up. She opened her camera option on her phone, and took a photograph of the text. She sent the photograph to Yugi's cell immediately. She then re-dialed the Game Shop's number.

"Open your phone. I sent you the text!" she said.

Yugi flipped open his cellphone and selected 'images'. There it was, sure enough! He hooked a wire to the port on the back and attached the other end to his laptop. He turned it on.

He selected 'enhance' on the picture menu and then selected 'print'. The familiar whirr of the printer began as a paper emerged from the machine.

"Here, Grandpa. The text." Yugi said. Grandpa took the photograph and went into his office. The sound of ruffled papers filled the room. "Where did I put that book?" he asked himself. Yugi noticed a thick copy of 'Domino University's Thesis on the Demotic Script' on the end table near the couch. He picked it up with a bit of difficulty and handed it to his Grandfather. "Here it is, Grandpa!" He told him. "Thank you." He said.

"So how have you been, Yugi?" Mai said as she waited for Solomon Moto's translation.

"It's been good. How has reconciling with your life been?"

"It's been relaxing, but I still haven't rediscovered my dueling interest…"

Ishizu immediately ascended from the basement. "This mystery is linked to the Pharaoh. There may be more to the prophecy that we thought was already fulfilled."

Yugi was shocked at the surprise of Ishizu appearing almost instantly behind him.

"That may be true, Ishizu! Maybe Atem has a greater destiny ahead of him."

Mai immediately continued to speak on the phone. "So, how are things with you and Téa?"

Yugi's face turned beet red. "Well, uh….we've…she….umm….I kinda uhh…"

"Say no more, lover boy!" Mai retorted. "I understand. I uh… (gulp) feel the same way about….Joey…" She replied dreamily.

Yugi's cheeks puffed up with laughter as he dropped the phone, trying so hard not to laugh his head off. She would kill him if she heard him laughing. Mai liked Joey? Was it true? Mai never really acted like that.

All Mai could hear over the phone was a computer running and what sounded like raspberries.

Grandpa emerged from his office, a scowl on his face. "It's no use. I can't translate the script. On the other hand, good morning, Ishizu!"

"Good morning, Mr. Moto. You are unable to translate this Egyptian script? Perhaps I can help." Ishizu replied.

"Yeah! You were raised in the Pharaoh's tomb!" Yugi said.

"Let me see it." Ishizu said. Mr. Moto handed her the paper. Ishizu's eyes narrowed with concentration as she examined the runes. Suddenly, her eyes widened with excitement. "Yugi, come here." She asked him. Yugi walked over and looked at the demotic script. Ishizu pointed to a certain character that looked like a solar eclipse. "Did you see this rune while you were in the Pharaoh's tomb?" She asked. "Once or twice." Yugi remarked. "When I was a girl in the Tomb," Ishizu began explaining, "We were all taught that this symbol means 'ruler of the four kingdoms'. Only the guardian of the tomb, in this case, my brother Marik, was allowed to learn the full language. But not even he knew what it meant by 'four kingdoms'. Sometimes I would lie awake at night, wondering what it meant…." Ishizu's voice trailed off into silence.

"Maybe we will find out." Yugi said.

"You still there?" Mai's voice broke over the phone.

"Just a second, Mai! We are almost finished translating." Yugi put his hand over the end of the phone. "Ishizu, go get Marik! He will most certainly know the script like he knows English!"

Ishizu rushed down the stairs and emerged forty-five seconds later with a tired and unsightly Marik. "Yawnnn….what do you need me to translate, Yugi?"

"I need you to read this entry found in China."

Marik took the paper and began reading.

"It says: 'The Tomb of Win Cha Yi will only yield to the Pharaoh's host and his twelve advisors of the four kingdoms.' This is definitely implying you, Yugi."

"Grandpa, we have to go to China. It concerns…Him." Grandpa nodded, fully understanding what he meant.

"Mai, wait for us. We are coming to China."

"Why?"

"No time to explain, Mai. We'll be there in a couple of days."

"One more thing, Mai," Yugi said. "What did this man that you see look like? .

"He was dark-skinned and was dressed in a white robe and a Turban."

Yugi hung up the phone in disbelief that this man was Shadi.

Immediately, there was a knock at the door. Yugi looked out the front window and saw Téa standing there. She was accompanied by Joey, Tristan, and the rest of the gang. Yugi opened the door and let them in. "Hey, Téa!" Yugi exclaimed as he hugged his friends. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to pick you up for school!"

"We have no time! We have to go to China!"

"Why?" Tristan asked.

"Come in. I'll explain it to you."

----------

"So this Jade box is linked to Atem?" Joey asked.

"Yes. And that is why we have to go to China." Yugi said.

"And what of the twelve rulers of the four kingdoms?" Bakura asked.

"Let's see, there's me, Joey, you, Téa, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Odion, Marik, and three others." Ishizu said. All of these people have played a role in returning the Pharaoh's soul to his tomb. The other three will be found, most likely in China. I do not know of the significance of the four kingdoms, but we must leave immediately."

Everyone returned to their home and began packing for the long adventure that lay ahead.

.


	5. Mystery of the Phoenix

Chapter 4: Mystery of the Phoenix

Yugi, Tristan, Joey, Serenity, Téa, Duke, Ishizu, Marik, Odion, and Bakura began boarding the ship. It was going to be a long voyage. The trip there would take at least three weeks.

Yugi looked around. The dock was busy today. As usual. Domino Harbor was a site of many memories for Yugi. It was where Mari had taken control of Joey and Téa

Suddenly, he noticed a girl with blue hair and a yellow bow sneaking aboard the cargo doors. "Hey! What are you doing!" a security guard yelled at her. Yugi rushed over to the girl to help her from being beaten. The security force was very specific about stow-aways. "Yugi, where are you going?" Bakura yelled.

"Hey, let her go!" Yugi yelled. "She is just a girl!"

"It does not matter!" the guard said. "But she's my sister!" Yugi lied. "Tell you what, kid. If you watch out for your sister and make sure she doesn't do something like this again, I will let her go."

"You have a deal!"

The girl was filthy with the stench of oil and rotten fish. "Thanks, Yugi..." she said. "How do you know me?" Yugi asked. "Don't you know me, Yugi?" the girl asked. "I'm Melody Gerard. I was one of your classmates about a while back!"

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken." Yugi said. "Don't you remember a girl nicknamed 'Ribbon'?" she said. Yugi remembered the girl at that instant and hugged his old friend. "Melody 'Ribbon' Gerard! How are you? I haven't seen you in three years! What happened to you?"

"My parents died in a car accident. I… was forced to live on the streets. It's been a hard life…." Ribbon's cheerful smile turned into a frown and tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for your loss, Ribbon." Yugi said.

"Well, well, what a touching reunion." said a voice a few feet away from Yugi. Seto Kaiba stood by his helicopter, his cold smirk as noticeable as ever.

"What are you doing here, Kaiba? I thought you went home!" Yugi said.

"I have a business meeting in Beijing, dweeb. Stay out of my life." Kaiba responded coldly.

"Sheesh, no need to be rude, Seto! Don't forget that he saved your neck on occasion!" Shouted Mokuba.

Yugi dismissed Kaiba's ungratefulness and began talking to Ribbon again, unaware that all of his friends had come to watch. "Why did you try to stow away anyway, Ribbon?" he asked.

"I received a letter from Mai Valentine. She and I were both on the street until she found her talent with Duel Monsters. Knowing my street smarts, she asked me to go to Xi'an to meet her. She wanted me to provide free rations for the Archeologists by stealing food. Ah, Mai. That old schemer."

Suddenly, Yugi smelled something odd in the air. It smelled kind of like fire. But that was impossible. No explosives were allowed on the boat. Then he saw smoke coming out of the cargo hold. Suddenly it hit him. "Everybody get behind those crates! There is a bomb on the ship!" He yelled.

Everyone ran toward the large metal crates as the smell of a fuse burning hung in the air. When they were behind the crates, There was a loud _BANG! _and several people screamed. Téa watched with horror as shrapnel flew in the air above her.

Yugi didn't have time to notice that Kaiba was still out there, before it blew. Bakura and Ishizu rushed over to check it out. He did, however, notice a strange man clad in a red robe, that looked like it was aflame. He almost looked like a Phoenix.

They saw poor Mokuba, covering his blood-stained chest. Kaiba, on the other hand, had lost the entire bottom half of his left leg. Mokuba whimpered in pain. "Aughh.."

"We can help you." Bakura said. He took of his vest and wrapped it around Mokuba's chest. Kaiba, on the other hand, needed immediate medical attention. "Bakura….put me on the helicopter….take me to the hospital."

Tristan looked around and found that no one, but he and his friends had survived. The nearest hospital was several miles away from Domino Harbor, so the helicopter was probably the best choice.

Tristan had flown a helicopter, once, in a simulator at an air force museum. Everyone loaded into the helicopter as Tristan put on his flight helmet and headed to the hospital.

"Someone is after us." Odion said.

"What do you mean?" said Serenity.

"Isn't it obvious!?!" Duke scolded. "There was a bomb on board that ship! How many people do you know carry fifteen pounds of gunpowder in their suitcase?"

Kaiba winced in pain as turbulence rocked the helicopter. No matter, they would be at the hospital soon. Plenty of doctors outside of KaibaCorp could give him an artificial leg.

Tea was concentrating on the small cut on our leg, when she recalled the Jade Box

"Ishizu, do you know anything about Chinese myths?" She asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ribbon asked.

"Let me fill you in, Ribbon." Téa responded. She was also friends with Ribbon, before her disappearance to the streets.

TWO HOURS LATER

"So after we were ready to board the ship, we found you!" Tea finished.

"And who is this 'Phoenix' that you saw?" asked Tristan.

"I do not know. But he may be trying to stop us…" said Ishizu.

"So, how the heck are we going to get to China now?" Joey asked.

Kaiba overheard that question. He still felt he was surrounded by dweebs, but deep down, he felt thankful for what they had done to him all this time. He thought he might as well return the favor.

"You may… take the helicopter… to China…we have….very efficient engines….will get you to China and back…..without…refueling …just leave me and Mokuba….at the hospital…." He said weakly, his mind blurry from loss of blood.

The last things the twenty-four year old executive saw were Ishizu's intense turquoise eyes.


	6. Seto's Lament

**And now- a chapter integral to the plot, but mostly concerning Kaiba's back-story.**

Chapter 5: Seto's Lament

Kaiba began dreaming. He saw his life in front of him changing scenes rapidly. His parent's death, his adoption by that tyrant Gozaburo, Noah, his defeat at the hands of Yugi, everything.

And then he remembered the orphanage days. Every day was hard, waiting for someone to adopt them. Life was miserable.

Then he remembered the girl.

The girl who had made his miserable life worthwhile.

The girl whom he had become smitten with ten years ago.

The girl whom Gozaburo had stripped from his life.

The girl whose absence shaped him into what he was.

Seto Kaiba awakened. Where was he? This was certainly not the D.E.C. Strangely, he felt no pain. Kaiba looked down and saw both of his legs in top-notch condition.

He was standing, no, floating, over a single-floor brown building. There was a small playground nearby.

This was the orphanage he had spent four years at before Gozaburo stepped in.

To his surprise, he was staring at his own past. There he was! A fourteen-year-old boy with brown hair!

Mokuba was following behind. He would never forget the lonely days at the orphanage. There was no one for him, except Mokuba and that Asian girl with braided black hair. Who was she? Where did she come from? Kaiba's memories began rushing into his head like a Tsunami.

He watched the whole scene play out, exactly as he had remembered it.

A group of bullies began picking on the girl. "Hey, look! There's that new Jap girl! She's such a wuss!" The head bully began. "Leave me alone." The girl responded sharply. "Ooh, we have a little fighter here, don't we?" The bullies began hitting her. "Aaah!! Get away from me, you jerks!" the girl began pleading.

Seto Kaiba was walking by at that precise moment in time. "Hey! Leave her alone!"

"Well, well, well, someone's in love! Think you can beat us? I think not!" The bully retorted.

At that moment, the dam burst. Adrenaline flooded young Seto's brain. He leapt upon the bullies and began hurting them. They had to pay for what they had done. Hurting an innocent twelve-year-old girl like that. Seto punched, leaped, kicked, bruised and wounded the tyrants. He didn't care what happened to him; a Pyhrric victory was well worth protecting another.

After thirty seconds of tussling, fighting, and bloody noses, Seto Kaiba left the bullies upon the ground, moaning in pain.

He walked over to the bruised and battered body of the young girl. "Are you all right?" He asked. "I think so," She responded. "Thank you. What is your name?"

"My name is Seto. This is my little brother Mokie. And you are?"

"I'm JoAnn."

"Let me help you up."

Seto offered his hand to JoAnn and she took it. As she stood up, she screamed in pain.

"Aaagh!"

She had broken her leg.

"Mokuba, fetch the nurse! Hurry!"

As JoAnn lay upon the nurse's bed, Seto began thinking. Besides Mokuba, he had never before had a friend. Perhaps this was an opportunity.

Seto decided to take it.

Young JoAnn was given a cast and a crutch. The nurse spoke up, saying: "Seto, I want you to watch over your friend, and make sure she doesn't get hurt anymore."

"Yes, ma'am."

For the next four months, Seto Kaiba watched over his newfound friend as her leg healed. They would play chess, go, backgammon, and several other games. And as JoAnn's passion for games grew, so did her bond with Seto.

When her leg got better, she and Seto would play together. He even taught her how to play Duel monsters. They would play for hours on end. Seto was truly happy for the first time in his life.

But it was not to last.

One year after he met JoAnn, Seto met…Him.

The big man.

Rich, powerful, promising.

Gozaburo Kaiba.

The next moments played out in Kaiba's head exactly as he had remembered. The chess match. His Adoption. And his unsuccessful attempt to have Gozaburo adopt JoAnn.

"Seto, the last thing we need is that wench polluting the Kaiba family!" The words pierced his heart more and more each day.

The next few months were as maddening as the Devil himself. Study in the morning. Study at night. Study all the time. Study, study, study, study, study. No stopping except for meals. 4 AM to 10 PM!

Then one night, Seto found a package on the outside of his windowsill, deftly hidden in the Hydrangea bushes overgrowing the Kaiba mansion. It was a small Jade Box about three inches cubed. Inside was a letter.

_Dear Seto,_

_I really miss you here at the orphanage. I still remember our days of playing Duel monsters in the playground._

_I heard from Mokie's letter that your new father is treating you unfairly._

_Inside is a small memento to remember me by. I inherited it from my grandmother in China. I am sending this to you as I fear we may never see each other again._

_Remember, if things ever get dire, just remember me and my token, and you can get through anything. _

_Endearingly,_

_JoAnn_

Tears began to flow down young Seto's cheeks as he remembered his best friend. He would miss her.

He opened the Jade box. Inside, he found a small signet ring with a coiled serpent on it.

----------------

Kaiba cried as he saw the memories rush by his face. He looked on his left hand and saw the Serpent Ring. He missed JoAnn even today.

Then he remembered the events of the past two days. Was JoAnn's gift, in the Jade Box, linked to the Box that Yugi had found? Perhaps he was in way over his head. His involvement with that twerp Yugi was not over yet.

Kaiba began to awaken and saw several doctors wearing blood-stained medical vests.


	7. Interlude

HA! Just joking!

Sorry about that review I made. I decided that the show must go on. Stay tuned.

By the way, all that stuff about the future, and Isis Nakagawa, It is true. In the future, I will be publishing an epic Manga under that pseudonym.

Remember the keyword. The name of the manga is

HOPE (kibo)

Sorry again.

Sorry, KageGaNeko, for the shock I may have give you.

-Lexina


	8. Tristan, Isolde and The Zodiac Items

Chapter 7: Tristan and Isolde

Midway Island, Pacific Ocean

Tristan was beginning to tire. Piloting a large helicopter for sixteen hours sure was hard work. If he could just rest his head, he could forget about everything. The Phoenix, the explosion, Kaiba's emergency, everything. Everyone else could sleep, why was he the only one who could fly? The weather certainly looked fair, except for that cloud over there.

Suddenly, a buzz came over the Radio.

'_Attention Approaching Aircraft. This is Midway Naval outpost. You are now in proximity of Hurricane Isolde. Please turn you craft around or you will not make it.'  
_

Tristan screamed. There it was, clear as day! It was absolutely huge! But the thing that made it even more frightening was that strange flames were circling about in a cyclone.

'AAAHHHH!'

Was the Phoenix involved with this?

No one awoke or seemed to even shudder. Not that it would matter in Joey's case. Tristan was overwhelmed. What could he do? Mother Nature's Atomic Bomb was heading straight towards him. He tried desperately to turn the helicopter around. Nothing could stop their Mutually Assured Destruction.

Tristan got up from the pilot seat and headed towards the cabin. There was no hope. He should tell Serenity, immediately! Tell her that he loved her, that she had been the only woman he had, or would, ever love.

Tristan's face turned Red as he remembered that these things usually happened in cheesy action flicks. He felt rather silly, doing it when his life was about to end.

Maybe he would be considered a hero by saving them. He could leave a note to his dear Serenity. He calibrated the Timed-Ejection. There was no room for him to survive. Darn this military-built chopper.

He pushed the TE 'on' button and walked out of his seat again. He took out a piece of paper and scribbled some writing onto it.

_Goodbye, Serenity. Today, June 15, Hurricane Isolde struck down myself, Tristan Taylor, over Midway Island. I sacrificed myself to save you and my friends. I will miss you. I hope to see you, sixty, seventy years from now in the next world. _

_Before I die, I must tell you something. I love you. I have always loved you, Serenity. If fate decides we should meet again, I will be waiting for you._

_Leave my possessions to Yugi so that he may split them amongst you equally._

_Tell my dear old Dad that I died with honor, like he wanted me to._

_With Love,_

_Tristan Fauntleroy Taylor_

_B. April 19, 1989 Domino City, California, United States_

_D. June 15, 2006 Midway United States Naval Outpost, Midway Island._

_P.S. Please don't marry that Perve Duke._

_P.P.S. Don't tell ANYONE my middle name._

Tristan slipped the note into the sleeping Serenity's jeans pocket and kissed her mouth gently. He remembered the word of his Grandfather, remarking about his first kiss.

'_Seven Hundred Trillion Years is barely an instant in eternity. But this kind of love…is Eternity in an Instant."_

"Goodbye…."

He would sure miss her, whatever was on the other side.

He walked over to the pilot's cabin and stood in the center. He outstretched his arms to his side and closed his eyes.

"Warning. Thirty seconds to shrapnel impact." Tristan could see the shrapnel flying through the Hurricane. He slowly whispered, "Hit me with your best shot…"

"Eighteen….Seventeen…..Sixteen…"

Tristan could fell the wind blowing his hair around now. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered now except his friends. Especially Serenity.

"Ten…..nine….eight……seven….."

His heart rate increased exponentially as the hurricane approached. Maybe this adversary would actually win. It was a shame.

"Five…four....three…two."

"Here it comes…." He thought to himself.

After six seconds, Tristan opened his eyes. Sure, the hurricane was still swirling. But a strange yellow light was enveloping the Helicopter. He also felt very silly, writing that confession to Serenity. Serenity? Was she safe? Had she ejected?

Tristan looked back into the Cabin and saw that no one had ejected. There he saw Ribbon, her eyes swirling with a Golden light. She was holding her arms out in a spread motion. A strange light emanated from her Yellow Ribbon.

Then everything went black.

Tahiti, South Pacific Ocean

Tristan awoke, bathed in the morning light. Was he lying on sand, or was he dead? No, if he were dead, everyone else had died with him, as he saw his friend's faces. Besides, The Helicopter was on the ground.

"Morning, Tristan!" Bakura held Tristan's head.

"What happened?" He said.

"You saved us all from the storm! Good Job!" Odion said to him. "Joey was able to at least land the helicopter."

"Yeah, in two pieces!" Téa remarked coldly

"Now we have no way of getting to China, much less home!" Marik said.

"Where is Serenity?" Tristan asked.

Joey smirked. "She's out finding a guy who can take us to China in a private jet, Romeo!"

Suddenly, Serenity ran over from the coastal plain, grasping a couple of flyers. "Hey! Boys! Yugi found out that this guy is Professor Hawkins! He'll be taking us to Honolulu on the way to China!"

Serenity was panting. "huff.. huff.. Yeah. He was researching Polynesian culture here before he had to go to Mongolia…"

Everyone who knew Arthur Hawkins screamed in excitement. "Yay! All right!"

Everyone rushed over towards the airfield from where Serenity had emerged.

"The esteemed Professor of Egyptology, Arthur Hawkins? I have always wanted to meet him." Ishizu said.

"So have I…" Said Duke sarcastically.

The gang rushed over to the small Jet, where they saw the Infamous Arthur Hawkins, Yugi standing next to him.

"Hi, Professor!" They said.

"Hello. It has been a while!"

"How has your research been going?" Téa asked.

"Great. Speaking of which, I think you should have a look at this!"

Hawkins unveiled a small object wrapped in his hand.

It looked like a miniature version of the Jade Box.

"I have received reports from all over the world about these mysterious boxes being unearthed in various archeological sites. Egypt, Japan, Nazca, a whole slew of places. Once I saw these boxes, I remembered seeing something in the ruins of Atlantis. It looked like a Diagram of the Chinese Zodiac, arranged into four groups of three. The symbols were all in green enclosures. Inside this box, I found a small pair of earrings bearing the Ancient Chinese symbol of the Horse. I figured these boxes had something to do with the destruction of Atlantis, as they have been unearthed in various places. I believe that after Atlantis was destroyed, the survivors were split into twelve offshoots all over the world, or four offshoots led by three rulers each."

Yugi's eyes opened with wide wonder as he listened intently to Hawkins' theory. This Mysterious Phoenix was starting to fit in with the larger Jade Box.


End file.
